Holy See's Condemnation of Nazism Came Early

ZENIT Discovers 1934 Document Regarding the Index

December 19, 2002
| 1851 hits

ROME, DEC. 19, 2002 (Zenit.org).- Contrary to what some historians contend, the Holy See condemned Nazism publicly and severely, particularly its ideology, according to Vatican documents.

One clear proof is the inclusion in the Vatican's Index of Forbidden Books one of the key works of Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg, entitled "The Myth of the 20th Century."

Moreover, Pope Pius XI approved the inclusion by a resolution on Feb. 9, 1934, exactly two weeks after Hitler appointed Rosenberg ideological head of the Nazi Party. At the time, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pius XII) was Vatican secretary of state.

ZENIT found the original Latin document of the then Holy Office explaining the reasons why Rosenberg's book was placed on the Index.

The document states: "This book shows contempt and completely rejects all the dogmas of the Catholic Church, including the very foundations of the Christian religion. It defends the need to found a new religion and a new German church. It enunciates the principle according to which today it is necessary that there be a new mythical faith of the blood, a faith in which it is believed that the divine nature of man can be defended through blood, a faith supported by a science that establishes that Nordic blood represents that mystery that surpasses and replaces the old sacraments."